


Prompt 3: Retreat

by harrietdowlinglovebot



Series: GOvember Prompts [1]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Angst, Armageddidn't, F/M, GOvember, Gabriel/Harriet Dowling - Freeform, Holy Authority, Hurt, Mentions of Armageddidn't, Other, Questioning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:49:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27378241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harrietdowlinglovebot/pseuds/harrietdowlinglovebot
Summary: Quickly written fic for the GOvember prompt "Retreat".Loosely Holy Authority/ Gabriel x Harriet Dowling"He never thought it as running away, perhaps escaping for a moment or two, though moments in the celestial world were much different to those of the human world. He wanted to experience the world as it was, away from the influence of Angels or Demons. He wanted humanity."
Relationships: Harriet Dowling/Gabriel
Series: GOvember Prompts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1999975
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	Prompt 3: Retreat

**Author's Note:**

> Quickly written fic for the GOvember prompt "Retreat"!  
> Loosely Holy Authority/ Gabriel x Harriet Dowling
> 
> It's completely up to you how you take the portrayal of Retreat as I purposely left it up to mean most iterations of the word.  
> Hope you enjoy it! <3

The War had been stifled and many of the participants were forced back into working as normal, but how was that possible? Views were shaken. Beliefs and understandings were completely disheveled. Faith was stretched. 

The Archangel Gabriel had worked tirelessly for centuries, bringing about Armageddon, eager to finally create a world where Good triumphs over Evil. Or what was thought to be Evil; Evil was a point of view, he recalled hearing once, and the more he thought of it, the more it made sense. The War, or lack there-of, had challenged him in multiple ways. He couldn’t straighten out his thoughts; they were not a pleat in his trousers nor a crease on his shirt. They were over-consuming, devouring his every hour. 

He never thought it as running away, perhaps escaping for a moment or two, though moments in the celestial world were much different to those of the human world. He wanted to experience the world as it was, away from the influence of Angels or Demons. He wanted humanity. 

The streets were cold, empty; something he hadn’t dealt with in Heaven. He sat on an empty bench in the middle of a park, drinking espresso from his reusable cup, extremities thankful for the little warmth provided. His eyes scanned the area, watching people coming and going as the world began to shut down for the evening. Seeing so many unaware of what could have happened during what was to be Armageddidn’t. An entire world of creation, love, and affection doomed to end for a battle of what? Adam Young had it right. It was merely for dominance. Power. It mattered little about Good or Evil, for what was that in the end? On Earth, killing and murder are Evil, yet Heaven was to do that without any qualms. Heaven willingly allowed The Antichrist, which is a name soaked in so many problems as it is, on Earth when they could have stopped it all from happening. For what? For God. His human-like heart throbbed in his chest when that thought passed through his mind. The realisation of questioning his faith hurt him more than he could possibly imagine. He gripped his cup tighter, taking deep breaths of the coffee-scented warmth, bringing him back to reality. 

It was then he noticed a woman had sat next to him on the bench. She had been talking on the phone and now sat with it in her lap, soft sniffles coming from her. Crying? Gabriel thought he recognised the sound but didn’t quite know what to do. Should he say something? What would a human do? He cleared his throat. Now, he had to say something.  
“You all right?” He spoke, in his low, American-accented voice. The woman lifted her head, glancing up to the man in question and dabbed her eyes with a tissue she had taken from a pack.  
“Yeah…” She began, it seeming like she was almost uncertain. “Yes. I’m fine.” She nodded now. He nodded in return.  
“Sorry, I’ve not been here long… I wasn’t sure if you wanted to be bothered or not…” She gave a soft smile in response.  
“Yes, I can hear your accent.” She spoke, cheering up a little as the subject changed. Humans were strange, Gabriel thought. Though, a little distraction never hurt. It was what he was doing.  
“My accent?” He asked, wondering what she meant.  
“Yeah? You’re from America, too, right?” She’d turned to face him a little more now. “I lived there with my son, but he’s… I’ve split with his Dad so he’s coming to live with me here, which is great! But I feel bad for not doing it sooner. I was late to realising how harmful it was to him.” She explained, thumbing her phone screen which a dark-haired boy grinned on. Since he was an Angel, he could feel the love radiate from her but the mix of sorrow and regret was a feeling Gabriel was becoming accustomed to, but it was warming to have someone relate to him.  
“Yeah, that’s fair… But you’ve done it now, and it’s better that it’s done now than wading through when it’s ruined everything. You’ve realised. That’s all that matters. You can work on fixing the mistakes now.” Was he telling her this or himself? He couldn’t figure it out but the woman stared at him with a slow nod, clearly understanding that it came from a place of knowledge and experience, placing her phone back in her pocket with determination.  
“You’re right. You’re absolutely right.” She took a deep breath and stood, clearing her throat. “Thanks, Stranger.” She quirked the corner of her mouth up in a smile, to which Gabriel stood and nodded in response.  
“Gabriel.” He commented, placing his hands in his suit-jacket pockets.  
“Gabriel…” She uttered, absolutely towered over by him, having to tilt her head to look up at him. “Harriet Dowl– Soon to be, ex-Dowling.” She began to turn on her heels. “I hope to see you around, Gabriel.” Gabriel could do nothing more than nod at that moment, taken aback by her fleeting visit, watching her walk away as the last of the sun began to fade with her. 

Perhaps it was fate that he ended up there, a safe haven for questions and searching. And he wasn’t going to let it end so quickly. He wanted to taste her sun and experience her rays. The secludedness but safety that drew him closer. He welcomed the retreat.


End file.
